Retreat
Retreat is the fourteenth episode of the second season of X-Men: Evolution and the twenty-seventh episode of the overall series. It originally aired on March 30, 2002. Overview Synopsis Beast is noticed by a cat as he runs through the streets of Bayville and soon takes notice of a patrolling police car. He hides atop the ledge of a building and when he gets back down to the streets after the officers pass him, one of the officers turns the mirror in the police car and spots him, changing course to following him. Beast returns to his old laboratory at Bayville High School and looks at it through a window and looks around the classroom before letting out a growl and smashing a tree in two, part of which hits the window and smashes into the class. The officers catch up to Beast, who runs from them as they give chase and he reaches a dead end as the officers close in on him. He gets away, much to the officers's confusion as he slams down on their hood and the back of the car while running away. At the Xavier Mansion, Beast apologizes and Charles tells him it was "bound to happen eventually". Beast questions him on what he means and Charles asks him what it was last time, recalling Beast attending a drive-in movie hidden in the bed of a pickup truck. Beast tells him that he was a fool to think he could ever "leave these walls" and Charles tells him not to be hard on himself, saying his need to be "out in the world" is natural but Beast retorts that he doe not "belong there anymore." Charles says he can still create an Holo-watch for him similar to Kurt's, but Beast says its "all the same" as he will still be hiding and knowing that his rage can get the better of him, says he cannot be trusted out there. Kitty and Bobby walk past Amara, Jubilee and Berzerker as they are talking, Wolfsbane and Sunspot while they are having their own conversation and Evan as he walks past the two. Kitty tells Bobby she was up half the night working on a "stinking earth science report" and asks him what he knows about redwoods, Bobby saying "Only that they make good hot tubs" as he walks off and Kitty overhears Beast saying that he never asked to be a mutant and questions why him. Charles explains that to find the answer to that question, they all must undergo a unique journey of discovery. Beast, making mention of his journey statement, questions where you can go when you cannot be seen by the public. Kitty comes up to Charles and asks him if he has asked Beast yet. Charles is confused over what she is talking about and confronts her about her intentions telepathically. Kitty brings up the possibility of Beast taking some of the students to the Redwood Forest "just to get away." Charles goes along with her and explains to Beast that they were thinking about whether or not he would like to lead a field trip to the California Redwoods. Beast declines after Charles asked him if he is up for it, but Charles furthers that it really is a "marvelous idea" and grants him permission to chose which students he believes can benefit from it. Beast tells him that someone else should do it, but Charles asks him to imagine what he can teach the students in a natural environment untouched by man and miles away from another human being, which appeals to Beast as he envisions it. During breakfast, Beast explains the field trip as being for those students who are falling behind in their earth science studies and Bobby laughs, Beast looking at him and Bobby realizing the latter wants him to go on the trip. Bobby brings up his improving grades while questioning why he would have to go on the trip and Beast makes a retort as well as stopping Evan from leaving. Evan questions if he can bring his grade up some other way, such as going to the park, since "there's green stuff there." Beast comes up to him and realizing he cannot talk his way out of going on the trip, Evan asks if the forest has any sidewalks. After the group lands at the Redwood Forest, Roberto covers up the Blackbird with bushes and Wolfsbane tells him it is fine the way it is. Evan remarks that he is missing all the fun and walks headfirst into a bush. Wolfsbane tells Sunspot there was plenty of camouflage on the jet and Roberto says a few more branches "couldn't hurt" while Wolfsbane says she smells "overachiever issues". Evan tells Roberto that their gear weighs a ton but the latter denies this and tells him that the sun makes him feel good and notes that Evan does not look so good. Evan says he's going through "pavement withdraw" and tells Beast that the trip and walk are "cruel and unusual". Beast tells him to send him an email. While Kitty is trying to set up a tent, Evan helps her by using his spikes to pin it down and nonverbally gloats about his powers. He later pokes through a bunch of leaves and starts itching while holding one. He confronts Beast over this and the latter realizes he has been in poison ivy. Kitty rubs a cream over the affected areas of his body while Beast speaks to Bobby, Wolfsbane and Roberto. During one of the group's observing of nature, Kitty tries recording only to have Bobby splash water in front of her camera and on her. She lunges at him and the fall in the water. The group then goes for a swim and they relax while Beast comes down from trees and jumps into the water. He splashes the water on them by habit while Roberto and Wolfsbane are staring at each other intensely. The group notices Beast's change in mood and Kitty confronts him over whether or not anything is wrong. Beast claims to be alright, saying that "Out here, in this place, I'm enjoying the animal I've become" but that he does not want to since its not who he is. Kitty tell him that maybe it is who he was meant to be and Beast takes her by the hand as he says they should head back to camp and asks her to round up the others. She promises to do this as he walks away. Some individuals present different findings related to Beast, which includes a footprint, a shot of him in a cave and some of his hair and watch footage of him and while they question if Beast is Bigfoot, two members of the group chose to "bag" him. Beast tells the five their first assignment is locate five mineral samples on their own and the group expresses how much they dislike his assignment. However, Beast tells them they have plenty of time for fun and it should not take them more than an hour and tell them to be back in four hours, causing the group to express their happiness. Beast says he'll be in the teachers lounge and Evan questions where that is. Beast says he hasn't decided yet and leaves the group. Wolfsbane tells Roberto that since they were assigned to get five mineral samples, a "go-getter" like him will bring back ten. Roberto says he might get twelve, since the first five are like a cake and everything after that is like icing, highlighting his fondness for icing. Wolfsbane says in regards to his liking of icing that she thought he had put on a "little weight" and after she walks away, Roberto checks his chest. Meanwhile the group of hunters try to summon Beast while a pair debate if Bigfoot's a yeti or Sasquatch. Beast continues jumping around and notices the two and everyone else, jumps away and hollers out, gaining their attention. He throws a boulder down at them and while they're running away from it, he walks away as he enjoys the smell of a nearby flower. The doctor and the hunters show up behind him and the doctor expresses his interest in studying Beast while the the two hunters shoot him with darts. After he is shot again when he does go down as they expected, Beast charges after one of the hunters and is contained by one of the doctor's inventions. He tries to get out using brute force, but is kept inside and shocked enough times to where he falls unconscious. While the doctor watches Beast, he tells one of the hunters that it appears Beast understood him when he said they caught the real McCoy. The two hunters that shot Beast come up and announce their plans to have him deported from the forest, which goes against the doctor's beliefs that he belongs in his natural habitat and should be respected. After they leave, he questions why he let them join the expedition. The kids look for Beast and after he fails to answer, Kitty asks Wolfsbane if she thinks she can track his scent. She assumes she can but says she has never tried anything like that before and Kitty insists she give it a chance and promises that the rest of the group will keep up. Bobby says the group better hurry since its about to rain and Wolfsbane transforms. Beast reveals he can speak to the doctor and when the latter tries to let him out, the two hunters return to announce they are leaving soon. The doctor promises to release Beast somehow and the kids follow Wolfsbane, who believes Beast is over a ridge. The doctor warns the hunter that they should not be leaving under the rainy and dangerous conditions, but the hunter insist he has dealt with it before and can handle it. Mud splashes out in front of the truck and the truck and the other three vehicles attached to it fall into a river. While one of the hunters assumes they've finished being hassled by the natural elements, the doctor alerts them of a large wave coming at them. The wave severs Beast's cage from the four vehicles and he cannot escape from the cage as it sinks. The X-Men spot him being carried away by the water and Kitty orders the group to chase after and help him. Bobbyu uses some ice to block the river's side off from the group as they walk down his other creation from ice to help Beast. Sunspot then uses the sun to channel his powers and while glowing from abilities, goes underwater and rips part of the cage Beast is in off, allowing him to get to the latter and bring him to the surface. As Beast recovers from being underwater unconscious, Kitty asks him if he is alright and he confirms he is thanks to them, but informs them of the people trapped upstream and has the group to aid them. When the X-Men meet up with the individuals from before, Beast uses a tree to allow Bobby and Kitty to get to them and help them. They first get to the two hunters that captured Beast and when the pair spot him even though he's trying to help them, they immediately choose to pursue him. The doctor is right behind them and tries to get them to stop. As one of the hunters tries shooting at Beast, he is attacked by Wolfsbane. Bobby freezes the weapon of the other hunter and smashes it into pieces with his fist as the hunter backs away. Evan lets his spikes out as he informs the hunter that "Bigfoot" has friends and asks if they "get the point". As the other hunter is looking for his weapon, Kitty phases through a tree holding it and asks if he's "looking for something". As the five X-Men corner the hunters, Bobby asks Beast what he wants to do with them and the latter says he's thinking. Kitty tells the hunters that if she were them, she would start "running before he makes up his mind." They take her advice and run off. The group celebrates their victory and the doctor expresses his fascination with them, stating that he would love to learn more and Beast promises that someday he will. The hunters try telling what they say to their colleagues and they are not believed and have their only witness, the doctor, not state what he say since there was hardly any proof. As the group leaves the forest, Bobby tells Beast that without him, that flash flood could have been a real disaster. Beast tells him that "as a wise young girl once told me, we are who we're meant to be" in reference to Kitty, who smiles at him. Beast says he guesses the students are not the only ones who learned something on this class trip as they fly off. Credits Production notes Continuity notes *Charles first suggested giving Beast an Image inducer when he first joined the X-Men in "Beast of Bayville". *Kitty previously wore the same bathing suit in "Speed and Spyke". Trivia *Only episode to feature Wolfsbane in a speaking appearance. *This is the first episode to not feature Jean Grey and the only one in the entire series to not feature either her or Cyclops. Category:Season two episodes Category:Article stubs